him to the skin, and just missing his left shoulder by a couple of
inches. At the same moment he heard stifled shrieks of laughter
proceeding from the four-post bed. The shock to his nervous system
was so great that he fled back to his room as hard as he could go,
and the next day he was laid up with a severe cold. The only thing
that at all consoled him in the whole affair was the fact that he
had not brought his head with him, for, had he done so, the
consequences might have been very serious.

He now gave up all hope of ever frightening this rude American
family, and contented himself, as a rule, with creeping about the
passages in list slippers, with a thick red muffler round his throat
for fear of draughts, and a small arquebuse, in case he should be
attacked by the twins. The final blow he received occurred on the
19th of September. He had gone downstairs to the great entrance-
hall, feeling sure that there, at any rate, he would be quite
unmolested, and was amusing himself by making satirical remarks on
the large Saroni photographs of the United States Minister and his
wife, which had now taken the place of the Canterville family
pictures. He was simply but neatly clad in a long shroud, spotted
with churchyard mould, had tied up his jaw with a strip of yellow
linen, and carried a small lantern and a sexton's spade. In fact,
he was dressed for the character of 'Jonas the Graveless, or the
Corpse-Snatcher of Chertsey Barn,' one of his most remarkable
impersonations, and one which the Cantervilles had every reason to
remember, as it was the real origin of their quarrel with their
neighbour, Lord Rufford. It was about a quarter past two o'clock in
the morning, and, as far as he could ascertain, no one was stirring.
As he was strolling towards the library, however, to see if there
were any traces left of the blood-stain, suddenly there leaped out